• February 12, 2001
• Vol. 55
• No. 6

Picks and Pans Main: Song

Worth a Listen

The Donnas (Lookout!)

Album of the week
STARS "1"

Now that they've reached their majority, the former teen rockers have toned down the amps, opted for an easy-listening sound and filled their new CD with earnest ballads extolling the virtues of home, hearth and motherhood. Yeah, right. The anti-heroine that the Donnas (singer-lyricist Donna A., guitarist Donna R., bassist Donna F. and drummer Donna C.) portray in song is a guitar-slinging, beer-swigging, stock-cars-and-pinball-loving rock and roll party chick who has never met a boy worthy of more than a one-night stand. As prodigious and boastful a lover as any gangsta rapper, she brags of bedding "40 Boys in 40 Nights (I don't have time to see the sights)." "You're in my face," she snarls at a rival (in "Hot Pants"), "and I wanna break your nose." These 13 tunes (all originals except for a cover of Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight") are chock-full of such throwaway lines ("He ditched me at the Mini-Mart") and dry zingers ("Little boy little boy/ Find some other girl to annoy"). The band's sound is proudly derivative—you can almost see the Kiss and AC/DC posters on the walls of the San Francisco Bay-area garage from which the group sprang. But the Donnas are no less original than the boy band to which they're most often compared: the Ramones.

Bottom Line: Energy, irony, attitude galore

Various Artists (RPH)

The impulse of rockers to act is as old as Elvis. And actors have been wailing on record, often to unintended comic effect, ever since Star Trek costars Leonard Nimoy and "William Shatner rocked out on the 1988 camp classic Golden Throats. Luckily, these 11 celebs—including Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe, Juliette Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton and Johnny Depp—can be forgiven for getting in touch with their inner rockers since they are doing it for charity. (Proceeds go to the Wildlife Way station, an animal sanctuary just north of L.A.) They also are savvy enough to sing mostly original tunes, thus avoiding the mistake made by Robin Williams and others when they ganged up to butcher Beatles songs on 1998's In My Life. The result, needless to say, was not pretty.

Bottom Line: Vanity fair-to-good

Alabama (RCA)

Rueful misgivings are a staple of southern culture, and regret over life's missed opportunities infuses many of the 15 tracks on this exemplary album by one of country music's most successful and longest-running bands. At the same time, South evokes warm, romantic moments, from the folksy "Simple As That" to the grandiose "Will You Marry Me," on which Randy Owen duets with Jann Arden, a Canadian singer histrionic enough to make Celine Dion seem subtle. There are a few missteps as well. "Love Remains," Teddy Gentry's duet with Christopher Cross, has a mewling, Backstreet Boys quality, and the reggae framework of "Wonderful Waste of Time" grates against Jeff Cook, Alabama's steadfast guitarist. On the better part of South, however, Alabama is whistling Dixie.

Bottom Line: Little glitter, lots of gold abc

Shaggy (MCA)

Internet freebooters may be the scourge of the recording industry, but music-downloading sites like Napster and MP3.com may have a fan in reggae artist Shaggy. A few months ago a Honolulu deejay lifted "It Wasn't Me," Shaggy's playful ode to cheating, from the Web and added it to his rotation. In a matter of weeks the track (from this album), which contrasts Shaggy's rough and slightly leering growl with the smooth, soulful vocals of singing partner RikRok, began to climb the charts. Now, nearly seven months after its release, the once moribund Hotshot has become a Top 10 Billboard pop hit.

For the Jamaica-born and Brooklyn-raised Shaggy (né Orville Richard Burrell), Hotshot's success means a welcome return to the charts. After scoring several hits (including "That Girl" and "Oh Carolina") in the early '90s, the now 31-year-old Gulf War veteran won a Grammy for his 1995 crossover album Boombastic. As was the case with his previous CDs, Hotshot is an entertaining showcase for Shaggy's distinctive delivery and his blend of R & B, pop and dance-hall reggae styles. Whether remaking Merrilee Rush's 1968 pop classic "Angel of the Morning" as a lilting ballad ("Angel") or turning his love light on the lascivious "Not Fair," Shaggy lets his charm shine through.

Bottom Line: Sure shot

Stephen Malkmus (Matador)

Ever heard of the band Pavement? If not, you're hardly alone. The kings of 1990s college rock did not sell millions of albums, but they certainly attracted a core of devoted fans with their intelligently groovy sound before they broke up two years ago. This first solo project from Malkmus, the group's lead singer and songwriter, makes a fine introduction.

Malkmus has shed Pavement's muddy-sounding guitars for a snappier, cleaner sound. While the arch, literary-seeming lyrics are sometimes hard to decipher, the clever melodies and rhythmically complex arrangements are the musical equivalent of black licorice—a sweet, adult taste. There's something for everyone here: "Jo Jo's Jacket" has a falsetto sing-along chorus. "Phantasies" harks back to Lou Reed at his jovial, early 1970s best. "Trojan Curfew" entices with its syrupy slide guitar. Malkmus sings them all in a sly, reassuring voice that sounds as if he's letting you in on a secret. For the uninitiated, that would be his talent.

Bottom Line: Cult rocker expands his flock

>NO NAME FACE Lifehouse (DreamWorks)

With a debut disc of dreamy alterna-pop, this L.A. trio is hitting the big time thanks to their shimmering first single, "Hanging by a Moment"—and a coveted tour spot opening for matchbox twenty and Everclear.

SAVE THE LAST DANCE Various Artists (Hollywood) A crib sheet for keeping up with the latest in hip-hop, funk and R&B, the soundtrack to the hit teen flick includes Dance tracks by Fredro Starr and Lucy Pearl, as well as Pink's amusingly titled "You Make Me Sick."

THE OCTAVES BEYOND SILENCE PROJECT Various Artists (Ladyslipper Music) The Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, BETTY and Me'Shell Ndegéocello are among the Liliths contributing haunting tracks to this CD benefiting female victims of political violence.

• Contributors:
• Steve Dougherty,
• Ralph Novak,
• Amy Linden,
• Alec Foege.